Pea7ds and the Pearl Fisheries. 409 



Southern India ; in the Persian Gulf, ofif the island of 

 Bahrein ; in the Bay of Panama, and the Gulf of California, 

 and on the shores of Australia about the Pacific Islands. 



The revenue derived from the pearl fishery in Ceylon is 

 uncertain and precarious, but worth fostering. The Dutch 

 had no fishery for 27 years, from 1768 to 1796, and they 

 were equally unsuccessful from 1732 till 1746. Under the 

 British Government, the right of pearl fishing was let to 

 Mr. John Jervis, a merchant of the East India Company ; 

 but Mr. Jervis got nervous, and allowed some natives to go 

 in for the chances at ^60,000, who are said to have cleared 

 three times the amount by this adventure. The fishery 

 right, in 1797, was purchased by Candappa Chetty, a native 

 of Jaffna, for 10,000 ; but the fishery was prolonged, and 

 on counting up, the net profits were found to be ;^i44,ooo. 

 The same renter purchased the fishery of 1798 for 140,000. 

 The fishery was again prolonged, and yielded a clear 

 revenue (including other gains) of i^i 92,000. The banks 

 having been exhausted, the proceeds of the fishery in 1799 

 fell to ;^30,ooo. From 1799 till 1802 inclusive, the average 

 yearly produce ranged from 12,000 to 5,000 per 

 annum; in 1806,^^35,000; but in 1814 the proceeds were 

 ;^i05,i87. There was no fishery from 1820 to 1827. In 

 the next five years, from 1828 to 1833, it averaged about 

 i^30,ooo. In 1834 there was no fishery. In 1835 it brought 

 in upwards of ^^40,000. In the next two years it declined 

 to i^25,8oo and ;^io,6oo respectively, and then the fishery 

 was not resumed until 1855, when about £11,000 was 

 realized. 



The pearl fishery of i860 was, as regards revenue to the 

 Government, nearly the most successful that has taken place 

 since the fisheries were resumed. It realized £48,216 ; and 

 but for the change of weather which set in at the end of 



